A smoking ban in public places took effect in Waynesville last week, making it illegal to light up a cigarette on town sidewalks.

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown pulled off a resounding victory against his challenger Jonnie Cure — a landslide of 1,394 to 216 votes that can only be interpreted as a voter mandate for the vision for the town Brown has carried out over the past 16 years.

Ingles Markets has gotten approval for a few minor changes to its site plan as it moves forward with a $7.5 million expansion project off Russ Avenue, which includes a Chick-fil-A, gas station, car wash, a parking lot makeover and additional retailers.

Some candidates running for office in Waynesville are accusing the town of running off businesses and claim the town’s development rules are hampering development.

Jonnie Cure, a challenger in the Waynesville mayor’s race, has a history of liens, unpaid property taxes, foreclosures, small claims and personal bankruptcy over a 20-year span.

What to spend money on and what to pass up? The Waynesville town board faces this question month in and month out. Seemingly small budget decisions can have some of the biggest impacts on residents’ daily lives.

Candidates running for the Waynesville town board can’t seem to talk about their campaign platforms without first saying how much they love Waynesville, and, for good measure, repeating it often. Sometimes very often.

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown has the public endorsement of six out of the seven alderman candidates running for the town board this fall.

Candidates for the Waynesville town board faced off in a forum last week before a packed crowd in the Haywood County historic courtroom.

Michele Rogers had no job, no college degree, no husband and no place of her own when she pulled up stakes in her hometown of Norfolk, Va., and headed for Haywood County in the winter of 1996.